


Irrevocably

by beadedslipper



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Jack finally gets to play the knight in shining armor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 11:59:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadedslipper/pseuds/beadedslipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phryne's luck was bound to run out sometime.  It was only ironic that it happened in a casino of all places.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Irrevocably

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery fic. I have a couple more in the works. I hope you like it! =)

“Tell me everything you know.”

Phryne smiled prettily.  “Well, it all started in December 1900.  I was born to poor parents.  We didn’t have much but…”

Her whole body rocked with the force of the backhand that was delivered to her face.  Only the ropes tying her to the chair kept her upright.

Boxter bent down until their faces were on a level.  “You’re cheeky.” He told her.  “I like that.  I’ll enjoy finding out how much pain you can take before your cheek runs out.”

Phryne had gone undercover on what should’ve been a simple, routine reconnaissance into the casino down by the wharf.  It had come under new management some months ago and people promptly started disappearing.  All the breadcrumbs led to this man, Malcolm Boxter, a suave, fast-talking snake if there ever was one.  He was handsome, she’d give him that, but it was a sinister kind of handsomeness.  Nothing half as appealing as a certain detective inspector.  Boxter liked the finer pleasures in life and she’d planned to cozy up to him and weasel some information free.  What she hadn’t planned on was getting made as a spy and dragged to a back room of the casino.

She spat blood onto his shoes.  He cursed at her, driving a fist into her stomach in a way that had all the air vacating her lungs.

“Now then Miss…Fisher,” Boxter drawled, looking over a copy of her card that he’d pilfered from a decidedly un-gentlemanly location, “what exactly does a lady detective do?”

She hung her head, panting heavily.  With any luck Jack, cavalry in tow, would be on his way.  Dot had strict instructions to telephone City South if she wasn’t home by midnight.  It had to be well past midnight by now, but she was beginning to think they might not make it in time.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, a flunky came flying into the room, breathing hard.

Boxter whirled, pinning the maggot with an angry glare.  “I thought I said we weren’t to be disturbed.” He snapped.

“Sorry boss, but I thought you’d like to know that Inspector’s here and he’s brought his boys with him.  They’re turning the place upside down looking for some lady.”

Boxter’s eyes snapped to her.  “Fine.  Get the strongbox out of here and get to the rendezvous spot.  I’ll be right behind, just need to tie up some loose ends.”

The flunky snapped to, immediately racing off to carry out his orders.

Boxter locked the door and turned to her.  He pulled a gun from the waistband of his trousers.  He came over and crouched before her, waving the gun in her face while she glared defiantly at him.  His free hand he stroked up and down the length of her thigh, rucking up the material of her skirt a little more with each pass.

“Sorry darlin’.  It looks like we won’t be getting better acquainted after all.” He drawled.

She smiled prettily.  “It’s just as well.  Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at you I honestly don’t believe you’d be worthy of my attentions.”

Boxter growled, pushing violently to his feet and backing several steps away.  She could hear Jack’s voice now, shouting her name out in the hall.  Boxter lifted the gun, straightening his arm to level it at her chest.

Heavy hands pounded on the door.  Phryne stiffened.  “Even if you kill me, you’ll never make it out of here.” She promised.

Boxter grinned toothily.  “Goodbye Miss Fisher.”

Three things happened simultaneously.  The gun went off, the door opened with a crash, and Phryne threw her entire weight violently to the right.

She cried out when her chair hit the ground, her head banging against the floor.  There was a burning sensation in her left shoulder and a dampness in her shirt.  Distantly she was aware of Hugh tackling Boxter to the ground, shoving his face roughly into the dirt.

Jack crouched before her, a hazy blur of grey and brown.

“Phryne!” He cried.  A warm hand cradled her cheek.  “Phryne, stay awake!” His deep voice rang through the small room.

She tried to obey.  She didn’t want Jack to worry, but everything felt so heavy.  Her eyelids fluttered.

“Dammit Phryne, stay with me!”

Pressure, uncomfortable on her shoulder, made her whimper.  “That’s right Phryne, focus on the pain, wake up.”

She tried, she really did, but sleep beckoned and she was helpless to resist.

\---

When she woke it was to soft linens and acute discomfort.  She blinked bleary eyes and immediately focused on red hair.

Mac stood nearby, clad in a white laboratory jacket and reading a chart of some kind.

“Where am I?” Phryne croaked.

Mac immediately looked up, taking a step closer to her bedside.  “In hospital.  You gave us quite a scare Miss Fisher.”

“Malcolm Boxter?”

“Tied up like a bow along with all of his unsavory friends and enjoying the hospitality of the City South police station until he can be transported to the penitentiary.”

Phryne smiled wearily.  “Then it was all worth it.”

Mac scoffed.  “This one might not agree with you.”

Phryne followed Mac’s hand to see Jack fast asleep in a chair at her bedside.  “He hasn’t left you since we let him in here.  He’s like a goddam guard dog.  Snapped at anyone who came near you.”

Phryne examined Jack, her expression inscrutable.  As if he felt her gaze like a touch, Jack stirred, blinking eyes that immediately focused on her.  He practically jumped to his feet when he realized she was actually awake and looking at him.

“Miss Fisher?”

“I’ll just leave you two to talk.” Mac said, making her escape.  The red-headed doctor shut the door behind her so that they were completely alone.

Phryne grinned, wincing at the pain in her bruised cheek.  “Hello Jack.”

“How’re you feeling?” He asked, bracing his hands on the side of her bed and leaning forward so he could look into her face.

Phryne did a brief catalogue.  “Oh, just swell.  Mac does a good patch job.”

A muscle in Jack’s jaw twitched.  “Are you honestly making light of this?”

“Why not?” She asked flippantly.

“How can you be so…” Jack growled, running his fingers through his disheveled hair.  “What were you _thinking_?”

“I was thinking I had a way to stop a murderer.”

“By walking right into his hands?!” Jack exclaimed.

“It’s nothing we haven’t done before.” She reminded him.

“Yes, we!  Together!  With backup!  Not alone and half-cocked with only a phone call as your safety net!”

Phryne tried to feel indignant at his fury but she could already feel the conversation taking its toll on her.  She was not as recovered as she let on and she was pretty sure Jack knew it.  Already fatigue was drawing her back again.

Still, she wasn’t one to give up without a fight.  “I had everything under control.” She lied.

Jack saw red.  “Everything under control?  Is that what you call almost getting killed?  You were shot Phryne!  If we hadn’t gotten there when we did, Boxter would’ve finished the job!”

Phryne had nothing to say to that.  She knew he was right but her stupid pride wouldn’t let her admit it.

Jack glared at her, waiting for her response.  When she could only stare at him wordlessly he sighed like a man exhausted, all the tension running out of him.  His head hung from his shoulders.  “You almost died Phryne”

Carefully, mindful of her sore shoulder, Phryne worked a hand out of the layers of blankets covering her until she could place it over Jack’s.

He looked up at her touch and his eyes were anguished.  “I’m still here Jack.” She reminded him.

Jack released a shuddering breath, turning his hand so that he could twine their fingers together.  Carefully he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“Jack…” She breathed.

“I told you once that I found the idea of your death unbearable.” He rumbled.

“I remember.” She replied.

“That…that hasn’t changed Miss Fisher.”

Her gaze turned soft.  “He was targeting policemen Jack.  Plainclothes, undercover policemen.  I knew this case was coming your way.  I had to do something.”

“I know.” He told her.

“I find the idea of your death unbearable as well.” She confided.

“Miss Fisher…”

“Phyrne, Jack.  Please.”

Jack took a shuddering breath.  “Phryne.  I know you had to do something.  It’s who you are.  It’s one of the reasons I…love you.”  He paused, gazing at her and letting his admission hang in the air.

She opened her mouth but, perhaps afraid of her response, he kept talking.  “But It’s because of that that I need you to _think_ before you do something like this.  Let me help you.  Let _someone_ help you.  Please, just…stay alive.” He begged.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

His eyes snapped to hers and a smirk teased his lips.  “Beg pardon?”

She rolled her eyes.  “I’m sorry for worrying you.  I was trying so hard to keep from having to worry about you and this stupid case that I ended up making you worry about me.” She squeezed the hand that still held hers, looking up at him earnestly and with just a touch of nerves.  “But you know…you have to know…I only did it because I’ve fallen ridiculously in love with you.”

Jack breathed in sharply.  She struggled to meet his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Probably for the same reason you didn’t.  I don’t know how this is going to work.” She admitted.

“We’ll figure it out.” He promised determinedly, clutching her hand even tighter.  “Now that I have you Miss Fisher, I’m not letting you get away.”

She couldn’t help but smile at that.  “You have me Inspector?  On the contrary, I believe I’m the one who has you.”

He grinned into her face.  He leaned down until their lips were only a breath apart.  “Irrevocably Miss Fisher.”


End file.
